PM Modi US Visit LIVE: PM Says US to Return Over 100 Antiquities Stolen from India, Singer Touches His Feet

“Historic state visit being accorded to PM Modi by US President Joe Biden is reflective of strengthening engagement between two great and large democracies, to scale up the Indian market and its requirements, combined with our overlapping strategic interest, create both an opportunity and imperative for businesses on either side…to expand bilateral trade & commerce, to strengthen engagement including strategic sectors such as defence, space, 5G, semi-conductor amongst others and collaborate to co-develop critical and emerging technologies…”: Baba Kalyani, Chairman & MD, Bharat Forge Ltd and founding president of Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a cheerful Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center and expressed happiness over the American government’s decision to return more than 100 stolen antiquities back to India.

PM Modi on the last day of his maiden US State visit interacted with the Indian diaspora at Ronald Reagan Center here on Friday (Local Time).

“I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 antiquities of India that were stolen from us. These antiquities had reached the international markets. I express my gratitude to the American government for this,” PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US was not about leveraging India to be a “counterweight” to China but to deepen ties, including defence cooperation, between the largest democracies of the world, a top White House official has said. Prime Minister Modi on Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his state visit during which he held wide-ranging talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the joint session of the US Congress.

He visited the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. This state visit wasn’t about China. Look, India has challenges with China as well, right on their doorstep, but also more broadly in the region. And, clearly, the challenges presented by the People’s Republic of China to both our nations were on the agenda yesterday, no question about that, said John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House.

But this wasn’t about leveraging India to be some sort of counterweight. India is a sovereign independent state. They have their own foreign policy that they have to manage. And they live in a tough neighbourhood, he told reporters at a news conference here on Friday. Kirby said India is becoming an increasing exporter of security, which the US welcomes.

Glimpses from PM Narendra Modi’s USISPF event at Kennedy Center in Washington, DC that was held earlier today.

“Key takeaway is that India cannot be ignored. India is a key partner to the US and is creating employment in US. Role of Indian diaspora is very very critical…”: Rakesh Malhotra, CEO, Global natural Resources on PM Modi’s speech at US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington

During his Egypt visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to interact with senior dignitaries from the Egyptian government, prominent Egyptian personalities, and the Indian community, apart from holding talks with Sisi.

The prime minister will visit the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in Cairo, a solemn site that serves as a memorial to nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Indian Army who served and perished in Egypt and Palestine during World War I.

He will also visit the 11th Century Al-Hakim mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not then US President Barack Obama’s first and automatic choice for his presidency’s first state guest.

Singh became one by a “process of elimination”, according to a former official of the Obama administration, who did not wish to be identified.

Singh was the last Indian Prime Minister hosted by a US President as a state guest until Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will join President Joe Biden on Thursday. Incidentally, every other Indian Prime Minister has had that honour with the exception of P.V. Narasimha Rao; some of them were honoured twice, including Indira Gandhi (1971, 1982) and Manmohan Singh (2005, 2009).

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Friday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for Digital India, emphasizing that it was ahead of its time and has now become a global model.

This praise came after Pichai had a brief interaction with the Prime Minister in Washington, alongside other top American tech CEOs.

“His vision for Digital India was way ahead of its time. I now see it as blueprint other countries are looking to do. The follow-through of scaling up India’s digital stack is model other countries are thinking about,” Pichai said after meeting Modi. READ MORE

E-commerce giant Amazon plans to invest USD 15 billion more in India, taking its total investment in the country to USD 26 billion, PTI reported citing a top official of the company.

After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company has already invested USD 11 billion in India till date.

“I had a very good and productive conversation with Prime Minister Modi. I think we share a number of goals. Amazon is one of the biggest investors in India,” Jassy was quoted as saying by the Indian news agency on Friday. READ MORE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with U.S. and Indian technology CEOs in Washington on Friday, the final day of a state visit marked by pledges of deeper U.S.-India cooperation on areas including space, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for Modi on Thursday, declaring after about 2 -1/2 hours of talks that their countries’ economic relationship was “booming.” Trade has more than doubled over the past decade.

Biden and Modi gathered with CEOs including Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella. Also present were Sam Altman of OpenAI, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, and Indian tech leaders including Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, and Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, the White House said.

“Attended a vibrant program celebrating our Indian diaspora. A heartfelt tribute to the strength, diversity and contribution of our overseas community. Their passion is our pride!” tweets PM Modi as he shares highlights of the Indian diaspora event in Washington.

The relationship between India and the US has transformed in the last two-and-half years making them indispensable partners, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s honour at the White House on Friday, he said from semiconductors to space and from education to food security, India and the US are working closely together on more issues than ever.

Modi is on a State Visit to the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. “During the last two-and-a-half years, we have transformed the relationship between our countries. We are working closely together on more issues than ever before. From semiconductors to space, from education to food security. The energy, ambition, and potential of our cooperation are boundless,” Blinken said.

During his address to the Indian diaspora in Washington, DC on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed that a Tamil Studies Chair will be established here at the University of Houston. He said that this is the best time to invest as much as possible in India.

“This is the best time to invest as much as possible in India. The research centre of Google’s AI in India will work on more than 100 languages. With the help of the Indian Government, a Tamil Studies Chair will be established here at the University of Houston,” PM Modi said.

During a ceremony in Washington, India became the 27th country to sign the Artemis Accords. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s ambassador to the United States, signed on behalf of India: NASA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for Egypt after concluding his US State Visit during which he held talks with President Joe Biden and addressed the Joint Session of Congress. This is the prime minister’s first visit to Egypt.

The two-day State Visit to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is also the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997. Modi was in the US at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

PM Modi America Visit:  Wrapping up his four-day State Visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that a new and glorious journey of India-US ties has begun and the world is watching the two great democracies strengthening their bond.

Addressing a cheerful gathering of Indian community members at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, Modi said the full potential of partnership between the two countries is yet to be realised and that their ties is all about making the world better again in the 21st century.

The two countries have seen convergence on global issues and their growing ties will be a boost for “make in India and make for the world” efforts, he said, referring to agreements on technology transfer, boosting manufacturing and strengthening industrial supply chain.

PM Modi America Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the governments of India and the US have done the groundwork for the business community of the two countries and it is now the responsibility of the corporate sector to take advantage of this and proposer.

Addressing business leaders and philanthropists from India and the US as well as other prominent members of the Indian-American community at the Kennedy Centre here on Friday, he stressed that the India-US partnership is not of convenience but one of conviction, shared commitments and compassion.

Modi said that in the last three days of his State Visit to the US, several historic steps have been taken to further strengthen bilateral ties. From defence to aviation, applied materials to manufacturing, and the IT and space sectors, India and the US are now moving forward as most reliable partners, Prime Minister Modi said at the event organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum.

US Singer Mary Millben touches Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s feet after singing National anthem.

The partnership between India and the United States can change the destiny of the 21st-century world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday while adding that relationship is not a matter of “convenience but a conviction” to make the world a better place.

“This partnership (India-US) is not based on convenience but a conviction. This partnership is of shared comment for a better world,” Modi said in an interaction with the American professionals and Indian diaspora on the last day of a four-day visit to the country.

Delivering an address at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, he said, “After seeing the bipartisan support to India-US partnership, I’m sure it can decide the destiny of the 21st century.” READ MORE